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"A year in the life" of my CP's - part 2.
- Thread starter scottychaos
- Start date
April 1, 2008.
6-week update.
Finally its really Spring!
As I said above, "officially" Spring begins with the Spring Equinox, which was a few weeks ago.
But here in Western, NY, the calendar doesn't hold much sway with the seasons..
the seasons do what they like, and pretty much ignore the calendar.
As a life-long New York stater, I have my own views on when the actual seasons are!
according to my calendar, Spring begins today! April 1st!
because March is the fifth, and last, month of Winter.
check it out:
Here are some pics for the First day of Spring..
First, the "outdoor report"..we have actual signs of Spring outdoors!
The snowdrops popped up about a week ago..the first actual flowers of Spring.
And the daffodils and tulips have broke the surface..flowers are still weeks away however,
but its a good sign!
Still a bit cold for the CPs to be out though..
Notice that bright fluorescent green of the VFTs..thats actually a bad thing..
it shows they arent getting nearly enough light, there should be lots of Red coloration in there! Windowsills might SEEM bright, but they arent..and these are even SOUTH facing windows that get several hours of direct sun a day! its the most possible natural light I can give them indoors! but even with some direct light, its still not nearly enough..the sun is filtered through layers of glass, and they dont get the all-day duration, because the sides of the windows cause the plants to be in shade for much of the day..
yes, the plants are doing ok..but they could be even better..they really need to be outside..
soon..soon..
The binata seems happy!
The VFT's have been open for business for weeks..even catching some bugs!
but so far only three Sarracenia pitchers have opened...thats ok, no hurry.
And thats the update for April 1st...6 weeks into the growing season.
When can they go outside??
sometime in the next one to three weeks hopefully..
I have been watching the forecasts, and I will put the plants outdoors when I first see a 5-day forecast that
shows every night-time low above 35 degrees F. (+2C)
basically, nights above freezing..not quite there yet..but soon:
hmmm..actually, those night-time lows look pretty good!
a low of 30 forecast for next Sunday..thats slightly below freezing, and would probably bring some frost with it,
but the plants could handle one 30-degree night just fine..
but..
im not ready to trust it yet..
temps that warm this early in the spring could easily be just a fluke..
snow and freezing temps is not uncommon in April.
I think that forecast is just a tease!
its very likely there will be still be temps in the 20's in April..
The next update will however probably be the day they go outside!
as I said, one to three weeks should do it..
Scot
6-week update.
Finally its really Spring!
As I said above, "officially" Spring begins with the Spring Equinox, which was a few weeks ago.
But here in Western, NY, the calendar doesn't hold much sway with the seasons..
the seasons do what they like, and pretty much ignore the calendar.
As a life-long New York stater, I have my own views on when the actual seasons are!
according to my calendar, Spring begins today! April 1st!
because March is the fifth, and last, month of Winter.
check it out:
Here are some pics for the First day of Spring..
First, the "outdoor report"..we have actual signs of Spring outdoors!
The snowdrops popped up about a week ago..the first actual flowers of Spring.
And the daffodils and tulips have broke the surface..flowers are still weeks away however,
but its a good sign!
Still a bit cold for the CPs to be out though..
Notice that bright fluorescent green of the VFTs..thats actually a bad thing..
it shows they arent getting nearly enough light, there should be lots of Red coloration in there! Windowsills might SEEM bright, but they arent..and these are even SOUTH facing windows that get several hours of direct sun a day! its the most possible natural light I can give them indoors! but even with some direct light, its still not nearly enough..the sun is filtered through layers of glass, and they dont get the all-day duration, because the sides of the windows cause the plants to be in shade for much of the day..
yes, the plants are doing ok..but they could be even better..they really need to be outside..
soon..soon..
The binata seems happy!
The VFT's have been open for business for weeks..even catching some bugs!
but so far only three Sarracenia pitchers have opened...thats ok, no hurry.
And thats the update for April 1st...6 weeks into the growing season.
When can they go outside??
sometime in the next one to three weeks hopefully..
I have been watching the forecasts, and I will put the plants outdoors when I first see a 5-day forecast that
shows every night-time low above 35 degrees F. (+2C)
basically, nights above freezing..not quite there yet..but soon:
hmmm..actually, those night-time lows look pretty good!
a low of 30 forecast for next Sunday..thats slightly below freezing, and would probably bring some frost with it,
but the plants could handle one 30-degree night just fine..
but..
im not ready to trust it yet..
temps that warm this early in the spring could easily be just a fluke..
snow and freezing temps is not uncommon in April.
I think that forecast is just a tease!
its very likely there will be still be temps in the 20's in April..
The next update will however probably be the day they go outside!
as I said, one to three weeks should do it..
Scot
Fryster
--Freedom Czar--
April 6, 2008.
7-week update.
The day has arrived! The plants are going outside for the season!
It's a week or two earlier than most years, but I will take it!
Here is the forecast for the next 5 days:
Every nightly low is above freezing,
days in the mid 50's to mid 60's (7-13C)
and nights 35 to 45 (2-7C)
Yes, we could still get freeze, frost or snow, but I will deal with that
if/when it happens..meanwhile, the plants will be happy to be outside.
So out they go:
Above is a look at the drain hoses coming out of the pots.
The rain water collector is back out!
I made this last spring..its very simple.
its a plastic storage bin from Target..cost around $5.
I cut a hole in the cover for the downspout, then a larger hole in the side for the drain.
the drain is a large piece of PVC "elbow"..very cheap at Home Depot.
the excess water flows out the drain, hits the concrete "splash block", which then carries the
excess water away from the foundation.
I also installed a valve at the bottom of the bin, to dispense the water when its needed.
The idea was that I was going to install a piece of clear tubing to that valve fitting,
and when I wanted to collect water in a jug or bucket I would simply put the tube in the buclet and
turn the valve...well, I never actually used it!
because I discovered it was much easier and quicker to simply lift up the top of the bin and submerge the bucket right
in the water! so the valve turned out to be unnecessary engineering..oh well.
Last year I also attempted to build in some mosquito proofing to the bin.
I installed a piece of nylon screening (window screen) to the PVC drain pipe elbow,
sealing the edges with aquarium silicone sealant..didnt work.
the sealant didnt hold well, and I also discovered that if any mosquito larva DO attemt to live in
the bin, the next rain will wash them right out the drain! so mosquito-proofing was also totally unnecessary.
I forgot to take a "before" photo before I set up the bin, but during the off-season I just install the regular
downspout attachment, looks just like this one on the other side of the garage:
soaking up the sun!
Calvin spent most of the day outside today, helping us with lots of early-spring yard chores.
The last two pictures are close-ups of some leaves..I will use these to demonstrate "the burn"..
which begins very soon..here are some UN burned leaves, right after the plants went outside:
these are the leaves that grew indoors during the last 7 weeks..they will soon burn in the intense sun.
"burn demo" is next..in a week or two.
Scot
7-week update.
The day has arrived! The plants are going outside for the season!
It's a week or two earlier than most years, but I will take it!
Here is the forecast for the next 5 days:
Every nightly low is above freezing,
days in the mid 50's to mid 60's (7-13C)
and nights 35 to 45 (2-7C)
Yes, we could still get freeze, frost or snow, but I will deal with that
if/when it happens..meanwhile, the plants will be happy to be outside.
So out they go:
Above is a look at the drain hoses coming out of the pots.
The rain water collector is back out!
I made this last spring..its very simple.
its a plastic storage bin from Target..cost around $5.
I cut a hole in the cover for the downspout, then a larger hole in the side for the drain.
the drain is a large piece of PVC "elbow"..very cheap at Home Depot.
the excess water flows out the drain, hits the concrete "splash block", which then carries the
excess water away from the foundation.
I also installed a valve at the bottom of the bin, to dispense the water when its needed.
The idea was that I was going to install a piece of clear tubing to that valve fitting,
and when I wanted to collect water in a jug or bucket I would simply put the tube in the buclet and
turn the valve...well, I never actually used it!
because I discovered it was much easier and quicker to simply lift up the top of the bin and submerge the bucket right
in the water! so the valve turned out to be unnecessary engineering..oh well.
Last year I also attempted to build in some mosquito proofing to the bin.
I installed a piece of nylon screening (window screen) to the PVC drain pipe elbow,
sealing the edges with aquarium silicone sealant..didnt work.
the sealant didnt hold well, and I also discovered that if any mosquito larva DO attemt to live in
the bin, the next rain will wash them right out the drain! so mosquito-proofing was also totally unnecessary.
I forgot to take a "before" photo before I set up the bin, but during the off-season I just install the regular
downspout attachment, looks just like this one on the other side of the garage:
soaking up the sun!
Calvin spent most of the day outside today, helping us with lots of early-spring yard chores.
The last two pictures are close-ups of some leaves..I will use these to demonstrate "the burn"..
which begins very soon..here are some UN burned leaves, right after the plants went outside:
these are the leaves that grew indoors during the last 7 weeks..they will soon burn in the intense sun.
"burn demo" is next..in a week or two.
Scot
April 11, 2008
8 week update.
Its time to talk about...THE BURN!
the infamous CP sunburn.
"the burn" happens every spring to my CPs..and it often happens to new plants that arent used to full sun.
Lets say you buy a new VFT from Home Depot or Walmart (please dont ever buy anything at Walmart..Walmart is Evil) but lets say you did anyway..a VFT or Sarr that comes in the little pot with the clear plastic cover...you know the ones.
those plants have been growing inside somewhere for months before you buy them..they havent been getting nearly enough light..
they are not acclimated to full, direct sunlight..and they NEED full direct sunlight!
so what can you do?? well..you put them in the full sun.
but those leaves that are on your plant when you buy it and bring it home are wuss-leaves, they cant handle the sun..
they BURN in the sun!
they get a literal, brown sun burn..its pretty obvious.
The same thing happens with my plants every spring...because they have been indoors since February,
they are not acclimated to full-sun outdoors..they are going to burn too.
Some people say you should "acclimate slowly" to avoid the burn....hmmm, maybe, but I dont buy it. IMO those
leaves cant handle the sun no matter how slowly you acclimate them, as soon they spend one hour in direct sun,
they are toasted.
so I never bother with "slow acclimation"..I just stick my plants in their "summer spot" and let the Sun have at them.
yes, some of the leaves burn..it cant be avoided. IMO it does not harm the plants at all.
a few burned leaves does not a damaged plant make.
yes, it harms those particular leaves, but one individual VFT or Sarr plant is made of many individual leaves..(or pitchers) over the course of the growing season..sacrificing the early indoor wuss-leaves to a small burn is IMO a small price to pay for the greater benefit of getting the plants in the full-sun they require for the rest of the year...its just another price to pay for doing business at this latitude. Any and all new leaves that appear
from now on can handle the full sun, because they were "born" into the full sun..the new leaves do NOT burn.
So my plants have been outside 6 days now, sitting in full direct sun.
lets take a look at that sunburn:
yeah, it looks bad, but I honestly dont think it does any long-term harm to the plants..
because the WHOLE plant is never burned..just the parts that are directly facing the mid-day sun..
and the back sides are never burned. and new leaves quickly appear that do NOT burn..
as soon as a good stand of new pitchers is up, I cut off the burned leaves...
my plants have received this burn every spring for 15 years, they are still happy and healthy..
I compare it to a human sunburn..its unpleasant, but its far from fatal..
here are some "before and afters"
Those are UNburned leaves..photo taken mere minutes after the plants went outside last weekend..thats how the leaves grew growing indoors for 7 weeks..(and remember, those leaves did actually recieve direct sunlight through the window!)
The same leaves, 6 days later.
VFTs unburned.
Same VFTs 6 days later.
The VFTs dont burn quite as badly..
and also notice some of the GOOD red coloration has quickly appeared as well!
(in addition to the obvious brown of the sunburn.)
The VFTs and pitchers had none of the Red coloration when growing indoors..they were solid green.
So after only 6 days in the sun, they are already "coloring up" nicely.
Before..indoors..very very green, hardly a hint of red. (and those are mostly Judith Hindles! they should have lots of red!)
After..most of that red-brown coloration to the pitchers is the GOOD coloration..its not all burn.
yes, the burn happens..its very real..but in my case, there isnt much that can be done about it..its ugly for a few weeks, but the plants quicky adapt and start putting out the "strong leaves" (as opposed to the wuss-leaves) that soak up that direct harsh sunlight just fine. In another month, the "burn season" will be but a memory, and the plants will be very happy they are out in the direct sunlight.
Scot
8 week update.
Its time to talk about...THE BURN!
the infamous CP sunburn.
"the burn" happens every spring to my CPs..and it often happens to new plants that arent used to full sun.
Lets say you buy a new VFT from Home Depot or Walmart (please dont ever buy anything at Walmart..Walmart is Evil) but lets say you did anyway..a VFT or Sarr that comes in the little pot with the clear plastic cover...you know the ones.
those plants have been growing inside somewhere for months before you buy them..they havent been getting nearly enough light..
they are not acclimated to full, direct sunlight..and they NEED full direct sunlight!
so what can you do?? well..you put them in the full sun.
but those leaves that are on your plant when you buy it and bring it home are wuss-leaves, they cant handle the sun..
they BURN in the sun!
they get a literal, brown sun burn..its pretty obvious.
The same thing happens with my plants every spring...because they have been indoors since February,
they are not acclimated to full-sun outdoors..they are going to burn too.
Some people say you should "acclimate slowly" to avoid the burn....hmmm, maybe, but I dont buy it. IMO those
leaves cant handle the sun no matter how slowly you acclimate them, as soon they spend one hour in direct sun,
they are toasted.
so I never bother with "slow acclimation"..I just stick my plants in their "summer spot" and let the Sun have at them.
yes, some of the leaves burn..it cant be avoided. IMO it does not harm the plants at all.
a few burned leaves does not a damaged plant make.
yes, it harms those particular leaves, but one individual VFT or Sarr plant is made of many individual leaves..(or pitchers) over the course of the growing season..sacrificing the early indoor wuss-leaves to a small burn is IMO a small price to pay for the greater benefit of getting the plants in the full-sun they require for the rest of the year...its just another price to pay for doing business at this latitude. Any and all new leaves that appear
from now on can handle the full sun, because they were "born" into the full sun..the new leaves do NOT burn.
So my plants have been outside 6 days now, sitting in full direct sun.
lets take a look at that sunburn:
yeah, it looks bad, but I honestly dont think it does any long-term harm to the plants..
because the WHOLE plant is never burned..just the parts that are directly facing the mid-day sun..
and the back sides are never burned. and new leaves quickly appear that do NOT burn..
as soon as a good stand of new pitchers is up, I cut off the burned leaves...
my plants have received this burn every spring for 15 years, they are still happy and healthy..
I compare it to a human sunburn..its unpleasant, but its far from fatal..
here are some "before and afters"
Those are UNburned leaves..photo taken mere minutes after the plants went outside last weekend..thats how the leaves grew growing indoors for 7 weeks..(and remember, those leaves did actually recieve direct sunlight through the window!)
The same leaves, 6 days later.
VFTs unburned.
Same VFTs 6 days later.
The VFTs dont burn quite as badly..
and also notice some of the GOOD red coloration has quickly appeared as well!
(in addition to the obvious brown of the sunburn.)
The VFTs and pitchers had none of the Red coloration when growing indoors..they were solid green.
So after only 6 days in the sun, they are already "coloring up" nicely.
Before..indoors..very very green, hardly a hint of red. (and those are mostly Judith Hindles! they should have lots of red!)
After..most of that red-brown coloration to the pitchers is the GOOD coloration..its not all burn.
yes, the burn happens..its very real..but in my case, there isnt much that can be done about it..its ugly for a few weeks, but the plants quicky adapt and start putting out the "strong leaves" (as opposed to the wuss-leaves) that soak up that direct harsh sunlight just fine. In another month, the "burn season" will be but a memory, and the plants will be very happy they are out in the direct sunlight.
Scot
upper
Capensis Killer
. Justr kidding but your plants look awsome!!! 
Ant
Your one and only pest!
April 15, 2008
When I put the plants out on the deck 9 days ago I said:
"Yes, we could still get freeze, frost or snow, but I will deal with that
if/when it happens..meanwhile, the plants will be happy to be outside."
sure enough..the expected "April Freeze" has happened..not a big deal though.
Sunday night the overnight forecast was for 32F 0C, with the next few nights after that forecast to be below freezing..so I carried the bogs into the garage. There they will sit until tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon. I could carry them back outside for the days, bringing them in at night, but its still pretty cold when I leave for work in the morning, so I just dont bother! they will be fine in the garage for 3 days. Here are those low temps:
Those lows of 29F and 26F (-2 and -3C) are cold enough to warrant bringing the plants in from the cold...yes they could probably handle it fine, they get cold-snaps like that in the wild..but I figure if I can protect my plants from freeze and frost, I should just do it! its better to not let them freeze if you have the option...If I had plants outdoors in an in-ground bog, they would just have to take their chances!
If the night-time lows are in the mid-30's, but not below freezing, 35F 2C, I dont bother to bring them in or protect them..mid-30's is fine for leaving them outdoors.
Tomorrow afternoon (Wednesday) I will put the plants back on the deck..and the forecast for Wednesday onward shows nice and warm..nightly lows back in the 40's and 50's..
(7-12C)
Scot
When I put the plants out on the deck 9 days ago I said:
"Yes, we could still get freeze, frost or snow, but I will deal with that
if/when it happens..meanwhile, the plants will be happy to be outside."
sure enough..the expected "April Freeze" has happened..not a big deal though.
Sunday night the overnight forecast was for 32F 0C, with the next few nights after that forecast to be below freezing..so I carried the bogs into the garage. There they will sit until tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon. I could carry them back outside for the days, bringing them in at night, but its still pretty cold when I leave for work in the morning, so I just dont bother!
they will be fine in the garage for 3 days. Here are those low temps:
Those lows of 29F and 26F (-2 and -3C) are cold enough to warrant bringing the plants in from the cold...yes they could probably handle it fine, they get cold-snaps like that in the wild..but I figure if I can protect my plants from freeze and frost, I should just do it!
its better to not let them freeze if you have the option...If I had plants outdoors in an in-ground bog, they would just have to take their chances! If the night-time lows are in the mid-30's, but not below freezing, 35F 2C, I dont bother to bring them in or protect them..mid-30's is fine for leaving them outdoors.
Tomorrow afternoon (Wednesday) I will put the plants back on the deck..and the forecast for Wednesday onward shows nice and warm..nightly lows back in the 40's and 50's..
(7-12C)
Scot
The Bonsai are still around!
They are currently in the ground, waiting to be potted up again for the spring,
which will happen soon.
I overwinter my bonsai in the ground, out of their pots, because they dont need to be watered all winter that way..the open ground never dries out in the winter. and I can pile snow on them for insulation.
Scot
Ant
Your one and only pest!
My Bonsai collection has unfortunately shrunk quite a bit lately..
victims of my apartment dwelling over the last 10 years or so.
Some winters I didnt have good storage areas for my trees, (I couldnt always bury them in the ground..because some winters I didnt have any ground!)
So there have been winter losses.
Right now I have one Beech forest, a Dawn Redwood, and my original Korean Hornbeam..thats it.
now that we have the house, and a yard, I hope to build up the collection again.
I have some nice Japanese Maples in the side yard right now, that I have been growing from seed for 8 years now..they were growing in my parents yard. I have been training them in the ground, and I plan to "pot-up" three of them next spring.
The middle Bonsai pot in this photo:
the forest planting with the skinny bare trunks, was a failure..
it was made with Silver Maple seedlings..the leaves are too big.
I split up that pot and planted the trees out in the ground, they will now be allowed to grow up as "normal" trees.
Scot
Ant
Your one and only pest!
I have a tree about 14 inches tall. It was under my porch for a few years now (I think 4 or 5) and was growing in rocky soil. I had wanted to make a bonsai back then but got bored with the seedling in a month. I put it in the ground there knowing it was rocky and shady thinking it would grow there and stay small with all the rocks but forgot it was there. I found it today still pretty small with about 8 or 9 leaf buds. Will that work as a bonsai tree?
July 4, 2008
FOUR MONTH update! :grin:
Wow..the growing season is half over already!
4 months down (Mar-April-May-June)
4 to go (July-Aug-Sept-Oct)
Happy 4th of July!
I already trimmed away nearly all of the "weak floppy spring growth", the pitchers that grew indoors in February and March..the pitchers from "the burn", as seen in earlier posts.
Now we are deep into the middle of the summer season, and all the Sarr pitchers and VFT leaves are fresh, non-burned leaves.
First up, (above) a new addition to my collection!
a nice big S. minor clump from --------- (I cant say the nursery name here..I will put the name in the webpage version of this documentary.)
A look at all three mini-bogs.
the "Judith Hindle Bog"..
containing mostly..yes, you guessed it, S. 'judith hindle'..
these all came from a big PFT sale a few years back..
there are also two S. leucophylla hiding in the back, and VFTs around the front.
An overview of the whole collection..
Judith Hindle bog on the left.
Middle bog contains a big Leah Wilkerson, plus my three beloved S. excellens,
VFTs in the front again, and a few other random sarrs.
Right bog is a mish-mash of Sarracenia, Leucophyllas mostly, random hybrids,
and my S. rubra ssp. alabamensis AL-02 from the ICPS.
speaking of the rubra.
a bugs-eye-view.
and thats the Mid-Summer update!
not a heck of a lot to report on..except "the plants are happy and eating bugs like crazy!"
more updates to follow as the season continues..
Scot
FOUR MONTH update! :grin:
Wow..the growing season is half over already!
4 months down (Mar-April-May-June)
4 to go (July-Aug-Sept-Oct)
Happy 4th of July!
I already trimmed away nearly all of the "weak floppy spring growth", the pitchers that grew indoors in February and March..the pitchers from "the burn", as seen in earlier posts.
Now we are deep into the middle of the summer season, and all the Sarr pitchers and VFT leaves are fresh, non-burned leaves.
First up, (above) a new addition to my collection!
a nice big S. minor clump from --------- (I cant say the nursery name here..I will put the name in the webpage version of this documentary.)
A look at all three mini-bogs.
the "Judith Hindle Bog"..
containing mostly..yes, you guessed it, S. 'judith hindle'..
these all came from a big PFT sale a few years back..
there are also two S. leucophylla hiding in the back, and VFTs around the front.
An overview of the whole collection..
Judith Hindle bog on the left.
Middle bog contains a big Leah Wilkerson, plus my three beloved S. excellens,
VFTs in the front again, and a few other random sarrs.
Right bog is a mish-mash of Sarracenia, Leucophyllas mostly, random hybrids,
and my S. rubra ssp. alabamensis AL-02 from the ICPS.
speaking of the rubra.
a bugs-eye-view.
and thats the Mid-Summer update!
not a heck of a lot to report on..except "the plants are happy and eating bugs like crazy!"
more updates to follow as the season continues..
Scot
July 15th.
Here is my largest VFT so far this season, and one of my largest ever:
37mm
one and 7/16 inches.
just a shade under 1.5"
1.5 to 2 inches is considered the realm of the large VFT..
I still have never seen one documented over 2"..
(reports of 3" VFTs are just wishful thinking.)
(this was posted in the "whats your biggest VFT" thread:
http://www.terraforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=99220 )
Scot
Here is my largest VFT so far this season, and one of my largest ever:
37mm
one and 7/16 inches.
just a shade under 1.5"
1.5 to 2 inches is considered the realm of the large VFT..
I still have never seen one documented over 2"..
(reports of 3" VFTs are just wishful thinking.)
(this was posted in the "whats your biggest VFT" thread:
http://www.terraforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=99220 )
Scot
